Curtain-cord winder.



No. 746,270. y PATENTBD DEG. 8, 190s. j

E. G. BENNETT GA. G. HUNTING.

` CURTAIN CORD WINDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1903.

l0 MODEL.

lli.. Fl'tafdgg- UNITED" STATES Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN G. BENNETT, oF EvERETT, AND ARTHUR G. HUNTING, oF

FITGHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

CURTAIN-.CORD WINDER.,

l SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,270, dated December 8, 1903.l

Application filed J' une 27, 1903. Serial No. 163,345. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

, 'Be it known that we, EDWIN G. BENNETT, of

useful Improvements in Curtain-Cord Wind-A ers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactj description.

The object ot' our invention is the construetionof a winding device by means of which the cords controlling a number of shadesl or curtains may be wound and unwound simultaneously and all or any one thereof locked at vany point and the curtainsthereby raised and lowered together or instantly fixed at the.

same height or with equal readiness may be secured at dierent heights.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a central transverse section of our winding device and Fig.

2 is a sectional view on the line X X in Fig. Y 1, one-half of the device being represented asy broken away.

' Our winding device comprises a case or cage 1, designed to be secured to a wall or other suitable supportan`d a series of reels 10, 10a, and 15, revoluble within such ease, the outermost reel 15 being provided with a turninghandle 26 and a locking-screw-20 for locking the reels together. Said case or cage consists simply of an annular rim and a back, the latter being skeletonized for the sake of lightness and economy and such skeletonizing being done by having the greater part of the back composed of spokes 2, preferably curved, as shown in Fig. 2.

The reels 10 10a are alike, and each com-i prises a hub having openings or holes 13 or 1 3a therein, arranged in a circle concentricv with the supporting-spindle 3, and Iianges or sides 1l 12 or 11a 12". The sides 11 l2 are located at a distance apart to properly receive a curtain-cord C between them, while the openings or holes 13 are made large Venough to easily receive the locking-screw 20. For the sake of lightness and economy these sides are also skeletonized, being composed of curved spokes joining a slender rim.

The outer reel 15 is not formed withy the holes 13 13a, but instead has the screw 2O tapped therein at a point to enter said holes,

as shown in Fig. l. i This outer reely is furtreinityof said arm. Another difference over the other reels consists inmaking the reel 15 l a double one by giving it in addition to the sides 16 and 18 a centraldivisional partition 17,'thereby enabling it to receive two cords in place of the one alone'of each of the other reels. This difference is not made, however, because of its being the outermost reel; but it is so shown in the drawings simply to illustrate a reel made with a plurality of cord-receivers. i

In the peripheralside or rim of the cage are rotatably Supported a series of' small grooved pulleys21 21 23 24, located to guide the dierent cords'C 'to their respective reels.

These pulleys are preferably located in slots in said rim and mounted on a common pintle 22, penetrating them all. At another point in said rim are the set-screws 14, 14, and 1'9, constructed to be screwed down into contact with the rims of the reels and to thereby lock the latter in any desired position: The reels are secured upon the spindle 3 by means of `the screw 4 and washer 5, 'said screw being tapped into the end of 'said spindle.

Normally the locking-screw 20 penetrates all the reels, so thatall are turned by the handle 26; but in case the different curtaincords do not wind up alike through an un'-l avoidableerror in fastening the cord ends to the reelsand the curtains thereby fail to be raised or lowered to exactly the same height then the reels can be adjusted 'in the following manner and a uniformity on the part of the curtains be obtained. If it is a failure of l the curtains to roll up to the saine height and the lowest curtain is that controlled by the reel 10, then the handle 26 is turned luntil this lowest curtain is at the proper point andy the others are of course at a higher level.

Then the set-screw14 is set down againstthe. rim of said reel 10 to fix it at such point and] the locking-screw 20 turned until vits inner end is free of said reel. The other reels are IOO and all the reels locked together as they were originally. If, however, these latter curtains were themselves uneven, the same process is gone through with, the handle 26 being turned to wind the curtain connected with the reel 10, either up or down, until on the same level with the rst curtain and the setscrew 14a caused to lock this reel in position. Then the locking-screw 2O is further withdrawn to remove it from the reel 10a and the reel 15 turned to bring its connected curtain upon the level with the others, after which the locking-screw is returned through the nearest alining holes 13 13a of the reels 10 10a.

It often happens that one or two windows should have their curtains dropped to permit the window decorator to work unseen. To do this, it is only necessary to turn the handle 26 to unwind all the curtain-cords and having removed the locking-screw 2O from engagement with the reel or reels of the curtains to be kept closed to wind up the other curtains and fasten their reel or reels with their set-screws 14 or 19. In the same manner if the sun is still shining in one window and not in the others the curtain of the one window may be lowered while the others are left up. A simpler manner than thatjust described for wholly or partially lowering one or two of the curtains, provided the weight thereof is enough to unwind the reels, is to fasten with the set-screws 14, 14, or 19 the reel or reels of the curtain or curtains which are to remain up, withdraw the locking-screw 20 from locking the reels together, and then cautiously ease up on the set-screw of the reel whose curtain is to be lowered until gravity has brought the latter to the desired position, when the set-screw is made to lock such reel immediately in place.

In case a curtain is provided with two cords, as often happens, these two cords are wound upon the double reel 15.

What we claim as our invention, and for which we desire Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

1. In a curtaincord Winder, the combination of aplurality of reels each having wound thereon one or more cords from a curtain, said reels being mounted on a common spindle, a locking device for locking two or more of said reels together, fastening devices for the reels, and means for turning one of the reels, substantially as described.

2. In a curtain-cord Winder, the combination with an inclosing case comprising an annular rim and a back, of a spindle rigidly held by said back, a deeply-grooved reel mounted on said spindle, a crank arm and handle rigid with said reel, a set-screw penetrating said rim and adapted to engage and fasten said reel in position, and a small grooved pulley rotatable in a slot in said rim in line with the groove of said reel, substan- Vtially as described.

3. In a curtain-cord Winder, the combination of a plurality of reels, and a supportingspindle common to all, one reel having an operating-handle and an elongated locking device parallel with said spindle, the other reels having each a circular series of holes arranged to receive said elongated locking device, substantially as described.

4. In a curtain-cord Winder, the combination with a partially-nclosing circular case having the central spindle, of a plurality of reels mounted on said spindle, the outermost of said reels having the crank-handle for its operation and the elongated locking device, the remainder of said reels having a circular series of holes arranged to receive said elongated locking device, and the rim of said case having the set-screws engaging said reels, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoinginvention we have hereunto set our hands this 24th day of June, 1903.

EDWIN G. BENNETT. ARTHUR Gr. HUNTING.

Witnesses:

WALTER PERLEY HAY, CHARLES F. BAKER. 

